Dental articulators are used to teach jaw movements in dental schools and to fabricate dentures and fixed bridgework in dental laboratories, the parts of the articulator that simulate the jaw joints being commonly referred to as condylar elements which generally consist of spheres that move in adjustable tracks or along adjustable cams. In known articulators movements of the condylar spheres are obscured by metal plates, cam mechanisms and the like whereby the teaching of condylar movements cannot be seen nor can it be verified that the articulator is moving correctly during fabrication of dental restorations.
Moreover, in known articulators the bodily side shift of the condylar spheres is adjusted by a cam which is moved toward and away from either the orbiting condylar sphere or the rotating condylar sphere to respectively decrease or increase the bodily side shift.
In some known articulators the condylar spheres move in milled tracks and therefore the mobility of the spheres is limited by the mobility of the tracks and in other instances the spheres are engaged only by the upper wall of a condylar guide element which permits separation of the spheres from the upper walls during fabrication of dental work which can lead to faults therein.
Another characteristic of known articulators is that centric locks are provided by screws which block the respective condylar spheres in their respective tracks or in some instances spring loaded cam mechanisms are provided for holding the maxillary and mandibular frames in centric relation for pivotal opening and closing movement about a hinge axis while preventing or resisting left and right lateral excursions or protrusive excursions of the jaw.